The Institute and its 3-years courses

The Istituto per l’Arte e il Restauro Srl, with registered office in Florence, Via Maggio 13, is registered with the Register of Companies of Florence with tax code no. 01481470480.

The Institute has been active in the restoration sector since 1978 both as a centre for education, specialisation and professional up-dating and in the field of consulting and restoration centre for private and public institutions.

Thanks to its thirty-five years experience, its 3,000 activated courses and its more than 12,000 restoration treatments carried out in its labs or in external sites, the Institute has earned national and international recognition for “excellence centre in the field” and it is able to offer its students, in a university educational training, a practical educational approach continuously updated on the latest modern technologies and treatment philosophies.

The Institute has in its premises in Florence more than 2.000 square meters reserved for the properly equipped laboratories of restoration of frescoes, stone artefacts, paintings on canvas and wood panels, paper artefacts and metals, documentation and diagnostic. The Institute currently has well appointed multimedia lecture rooms, computer rooms, specialised libraries, a research, cataloguing and documentation centre, a web office and a series of restoration sites active in Florence and in other Italian towns.

The professional academic triennial school covers six restoration fields:

• Restoration of Paintings on Canvas and Wood Panel

• Restoration of Frescoes and Mural Paintings

• Restoration of Ceramic and Archaeological Finds

• Restoration of Glass

• Restoration of Stone Artefacts

• Restoration of Metals

• Restoration of Books and Paper, Archive Materials and Parchment

Since 1978 approximately 7,500 students from all over the world have been trained in the laboratories and workshops of the various branches of the Institute (Borgo Albizi 10, Palazzo Spinelli, Palazzo Niccolini, Palazzo Ridolfi, Palazzo Berni, Villa Montalto): 3.300 in the restoration sector and 4,200 in other areas (graphics, furniture, antiques, drawing and painting, crafts, masters).

Others 12,500 students have so far attended short courses of introduction to the techniques or upgrade sessions.

This intense activity has contributed significantly to the consolidation in every corner of the planet of the image of Florence as the “World Capital of Art and Restoration.”

It is estimated that the activity of Palazzo Spinelli has so far produced over 10 million visitors a day in Florence with total sales, including travel and accommodation, of about 1 billion Euros in favor of the city.

PALAZZO SPINELLI IN THE HISTORY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF RESTORERS IN ITALY

In 1976 our Institute was the first in Italy to counter the monopoly of Law no. 1089 of 1 June 1939, then repealed in 1999, in accordance with the fundamental values of the Italian Constitution, including Article 33, paragraph 1, which states: “The art and science are free and free is their teaching.” Two years after the national law no. 845 of 21 December 1978 has regulated the vocational training, delegating it to the regions. According to this law, Palazzo Spinelli obtained in 1980, the recognition of its courses of restoration (Resolution of the Province of Florence no. 1881 of 12.06.1980). Until now, this approval was uninterrupted by the Province of Florence in accordance with the Article 17 paragraph 1 letter b of the LR 32/2002. The Institute is accredited by the Region of Tuscany with the Decree no. 1722 of 25 March 2003, accreditation code no. 545, and the subsequent decree no. 373, February 6, 2009, Code of accreditation FI0269. The Institute is in possession of the ISO 9001:2008 certification IMQ / CSQ 9175.IPAR of 16.05.2005 and subsequent, and it is subject to annual audits of Quality, whose last positive confirmation is dated February 28, 2014. The Institute is the only school of restoration in Tuscany with three-year vocational courses recognized in the following six addresses: restoration of frescoes, paper, ceramics, paintings, stone artefacts, metals.

THE INSTITUTE AND THE COURSES FOR COLLABORATOR RESTORER

Palazzo Spinelli has always organized training restoration courses recognized by the Region of Tuscany, graduating 3,300 students from all over the world. The courses are currently organized under the Regional Law 32/2002 (two starting years + a specialisaton year). In the academic year 2013-14, the Institute has activated four academic addresses, with the new three-year unique cycle system: Restoration of frescoes – Restoration of paintings on canvas and wood panel – Restoration of paper artefacts – Restoration of ceramic and stone.

In the academic year 2013-14, the Institute has activated four academic addresses, with the new three-year unique cycle system: Restoration of frescoes – Restoration of paintings on canvas and wood panel – Restoration of paper artefacts – Restoration of ceramic and stone. Starting from 2014-15 there will be activated sixacademic courses (Restoration of frescoes, Restoration of paper, Restoration of ceramic, Restoration of paintings, Restoration of stone artefacts, Restoration of metals), always organized in compliance with the standards approved by the Accordo Stato-Regioni of 25.07.2012 which has definitively established the triennial 2,700 hours cycle, of which the 60% is reserved to practical work on artworks classified as cultural heritage according to the Italian Code of Cultural Heritage and Landscape.

Graduates who have attended the three-year courses, passing the Expert Technician exams will be included automatically in the National List of Technicians of restoration of Cultural Heritage managed by the Ministry. Who attends only a year or obtain only the two-year diploma of Qualified Technician will not be included in any list, but can still act as Collaborator Restorer.

The triennial professional qualification, as issued by a Regional institution, officially delegated by the Italian State due to the National Law no. 845 of 21st December 1978, is valid on the whole National territory. The triennial title is also valid on the European countries thanks to the validation general system SG adopted with the European acts (89/48/CEE and 92/51/CEE), changed by the act 2001/19/CE, acted by the italian State by means of the Legislative Decree no. 277 of the 8 July 2003, art no. 1 letter b.

The three-year vocational training is undoubtedly the more suitable way for the majority of young people who want to learn a job quickly, acquiring practical skills based on a large number of laboratory hours and almost a year out of three of practical curricular internship. After the Diploma, students will be able to open their own business or to “collaborate” as recorded in the National “Technician of restoration of cultural heritage” to restoration works designed and directed by restorers with five-year degree, or they can chose to continue their studies to obtain the five-year degree title.